This is Y December 2020 Digital Edition

TELEVISION
Image: Eskholme Pike near Calf Top
It’s difficult to choose a favourite peak, but I really
enjoyed Ingleborough as I went up there in February
during some unusually warm weather for that time of
year. A proper little mountain, Ingleborough has some fun
scrambles, a wonderful summit plateau and some of the
best views in the Dales. I combined the peak with Simon’s
Fell, a nearby summit which few others seem to make the
extra effort to visit. I’d recommend taking on any of the
peaks in the Howgills, a much quieter corner of the Dales,
with some fine scenery including deep ravines, craggy cliffs
and dramatic waterfalls.
Even though it’s the lowest, Calf Top also has some of the
best views in the whole Yorkshire Dales National Park. You
can see all the way out to the sea on England’s west coast.
Next I’ll be working my way through that challenge to
climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountain on every
continent. So far, I’ve climbed four: Kilimanjaro in Africa,
Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Oceania and most recently
Aconcagua in South America.
Closer to home, there are 180 mountains over 2,000ft in
England. I’ve climbed around 60 of them so perhaps I’ll
get started on the rest. With around 95% of them in the
north of England, most are within relatively easy reach.
For me climbing all 41 of the Yorkshire Dales National
Park’s mountains was a great way of exploring the
outdoors during lockdown and getting to know my
local area. Engaging with nature and getting into being
outside has proven mental and physical health benefits,
Alfiya Stephenson (podcast episode 4)
particularly important under Voices lockdown. from Herriot Country
I would urge anyone who is finding life difficult in these
times to pick their own micro-adventure or create a
micro-challenge to complete. It could be ‘10 local trails’
or ‘20 hills over 500m’, it doesn’t really matter what it is
or how long it takes. With normal life so restricted at the
moment, it’s more important than ever to get outside,
get into nature and disconnect.
My plans are currently on hold due to the pandemic so I’m
not sure when I’ll get the chance to have a crack at the
next one. I still have Denali in North America, Vinson in
Antarctica and Everest in Asia. I also aim to summit Puncak
Jaya in Indonesia to complete the two separate versions of
the Seven Summits lists, the first of which restricts Oceania
to Australia while the second includes the islands of the
Indian and Pacific oceans.
Image: Peter on the summit of Aconcagua,
the highest mountain in the Americas
Image: Peter on the summit of Elbrus,
Europe’s highest mountain
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